Water drain for journal cellars



, y 1939- J. E RUNNER 2,159,750

WATER DRAIN FOR JOURNAL CELLARS I Filed May 7, 1956 RN EYS.

' Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

l r 2,159,750 WATER- DRAIN FOR JOURNAL CELLARS .loseph E. Runner, Indianapolis, Ind. Application May 7, 1936, Serial No. 78,434

7 Claims.

In the operation of railroads water entering into the journal-boxes of the cars and locomotives frequently causes operating difficulties either because it displaces oil or, in cold weather,

* because it freezes, expands, and causes an undue pressure.

It is the object of my invention to provide the journal-boxes or journal-box cellars of railway cars. and locomotives with means which will prevent the accumulation of any great amount of watertherein and which will confine anywater that does accumulate in such a way that it does .not interfere with the satisfactory functioning of the journal-box waste in providing lubrication A further object of my invenwhich will not add greatly to the cost of journalbox construction and which will be of such a nature that its operation is not interfered with by I conditions to which it may be subjected in use.

In carrying out my invention I provide the journal-box or journal-box cellar with a sump in which any water entering the journal-box will collect, and I provide a water-discharge conduit which has an inlet opening adjacent the bottom of the sump and which extends therefrom to a point above the bottom of the journalebox or journal-box cellar. At this point, such conduit may discharge into the atmosphere or may con- "tinue in a generally downwardly direction so that any liquid reaching the highest point in the conduit will overflow and be discharged from the journal-box. Conveniently, the conduitand sump are formedin the casting of the journalbox or journal-box cellar, but this is not necessary. g The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig. 1 is a transverse section on the line through a locomotive journal-box; Fig. 2' is a vertical section onthe line 2-2 of Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the journal-box cellar on theline 3.3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an axial section through a car journal-box; and Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line 5-5 or Fig. 4.

55 pregnated waste I5 01' similar material which whi-ch extends downwardly into the adjacent sump 20 to a point below the inner surface of the bottom of the cellar proper and which serves, in co-operation with the adjacent end wall of the 1 cellar, to define a conduit providing communication between the sump 20 and the discharge port 2|.

Ordinarily, it is desired that the quantity of oil in the journal-box cellar be just sufficient to 20 saturate the waste l5; but this is a condition which it is impossible to maintain in practice, as increases in temperature tend to drive the oil from the waste and to cause it to collect in the bottom of the cellar. It is to prevent the escape .25 of any such oil driven fromthe waste that the bottom of the port 2| is disposed above the bottom of the cellar proper. At the same time, should too much oil be placed in the cellar or collect in the bottom. thereof after being driven v30 out of the Waste, the ports 2| will serve to carry off the excess. 1'. find it satisfactory to so dispose the ports 2| that the lowermost point thereof will be about three-eighths or one-half an inch above the inner surface of the bottom of the 35 cellar.

With the construction just described, water entering the locomotive journal-box will pass downwardly through the oil-soaked waste and into the sumps 20 being aided in its passage by 40 the agitation which occurs when the locomotive is in use. I find that the water level in the water-discharge passage will be above that in the sump, and that water will be discharged from the journal box long before the water-level in the 45 box proper reaches the. elevation of the lower- 'most point in the discharge port 2]. I believe this to be due to surface-tension phenomena in the relatively narrow voids between 'the threads of the tightly packed waste, the oil coated surfaces of such threads tending to depress the water level in the journal-box proper and thus to displace the water into the sumps and out the discharge passages. Of course, when free oil is present in the journal box it will float on the water and will create a hydrostatic pressure tending to augment the difference between the respective water levels in the box and discharge passage; but, in the absence of free oil, no apprciable quantity of water can remain on the floor of the journal box even when the bottom ofthe port 2| is one-half inch above the bottom of the journal-box.

Oil cannot escape from the journal-box through either port- 2| until the oil level in the journal box reaches or exceeds the elevation of the bottom of the port. By making the bottom of the port about one-half inch above the bottom of the journal-box proper, an adequate quantity of oil will be retained. "Since oil has a lower specific gravity than water, the escape of oil from either port 2| indicates that the waterlevel in the adjacent sump is below the lower edge of the hood 22.

Preferably the journal-box cellar is formed with :the lower portion of one .of its side walls hollow,

as indicated at 25 to provide an oil passage which communicates with the interior of the cellar through .a port .26 near the bottom of the side wall and which can .be supplied with oil through 1811 opening 2'! in the rear wall of the cellar.

The journal-box illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is .of such .a construction that it is impractical to withdraw water from the sump 20 through an end wall of the box, and I therefore provide the box with a siphon-like .conduit 30 the inlet open- .ing of which is located within the sump 20 and the outlet opening of which is located in the lower face of the journal-box. At the highest point of the conduit 30, its bottom is above the bottom of the journal-box proper, just as the bottom of each .port 2| in Figs. 1 and 2 .is above the bottom of the journal-box, and for the same purpose. Beyond the highest point of the conduit 3.0 its discharge leg conveniently vflares and increases rapidly in crossesectional {area to prevent any siphoning action which might exhaust an undue .quantity of lubricant from the journal-box.

It will be noted that in both modifications of the invention illustrated the discharge conduit opens into the interior of the journal-box through a downwardly directed opening. This arrangement, especially when combined with the dispositionflof such opening in the sump, tends to prevent any waste from entering the discharge passage where it might interfere with the free egress of water.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a .iournalebox for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing com partment having a bottom spaced downwardly irom the associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in .said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle journal, a sump in said compartment, and a discharge conduit opening into said sump and discharging exteriorly of said waste compartment. said discharge conduit at one point in its length having elevation greater than that of the bottom of said waste compartment.

In a journal-box for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing compartment having a bottom spaced downwardly from the associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle journal, and a discharge conduit opening into said waste compartment near the lowest pointtherein and discharging exteriorly of said waste compartment, said conduit extending generally upwardly from its point of communication with said waste compartment to an elevation above the bottom thereof.

3. In a journal-box for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing compartment having a bottom spaced downwardly from the ':associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle journal, and a discharge conduit opening into said waste compartment near the lowest point therein and discharging exteriorly of said waste compartment, said conduit having at one point in its length .an elevation greater than that of the bottom of .said waste-compartment.

4. In a journal-box for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing compartment having a bottom spaced, downwardly from the associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle journal, one vertical wall of said compartment being. provided with .a discharge port located above the bottom of said compartment, a hood disposed .over the inner end of said port and forming therewith a discharge conduit, and a sump disposed beneath said hood, said hood extending downwardly into saidsump- 5. Ina journal-box (for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing compartment having a bottom spaced downwardly from the associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle Journal, a sump insaid compartment, and a discharge conduit of inverted U-shape having its inlet end disposed within said sump and its outlet extending downwardly through the bottom of said compartment, said discharge conduit, at its highest point, being above the inner surface of the bottom of the compartment.

6. In ajournal-box for the axles of railway cars or locomotives, a journal-containing compartment having a bottom spaced downwardly from the associated axle journal, oil-impregnated waste disposed in said compartment and filling the space between the compartment-bottom and the axle journal, and a discharge conduit of inverted U-shape having its inlet end disposed adjacent the lowermost point in said compartment and its outlet extending downwardly through the bottom of said compartment, said discharge conduit, at its highest point, being above the inner surface of the bottom of the compartment.

'7. The invention set forth in claim 6 with the addition that the discharge leg of said U-shaped conduit increases in cross-sectional area toward its lower end.

' JOSEPH E. RUNNER. 

